The sewing thread

Artytarty

That sounds lovely loccylou! What kind of hem do you put on the blankets?

RageinEden

I used vouchers to buy a sewing machine from John Lewis in "pistachio" apparently....Why I have no idea as technically I have three. One on store, one in a loft and one as a TV stand but they are all tredles. This is a flash electric job! I have a pattern and three lots of fabric to make cotton dresses for this summer. I'm in month seven of no buying clothes (except for replacement essentials). I can't wait (fitting it in around jigsaws, writing, work, running a music festival, cross stitch, reading, letter writing, crochet and knitting) ......

ivyleaf

Have fun, Rageineden

Artytarty

I think I need help...

We went to a Mowtown music evening last night and I found myself looking at the girls dresses and trying to work out where the seam was for the draping and it really annoyed me that the three girls of different heights were obviously wearing dresse of the same length.
:eek:
Why couldn't costume have made sure they all ended two inches above the knee or whatever?! Such a simple fix that would have satisfied the critical eye.:T

I managed to find time to make myself a simple batwing style top in a drapery knit.after much frustration Google provided the help I needed to stop the seams going wavy in the overlocker.
For anyone similarly afflicted- turn the differential fees up to 1.5 -perfect!

Emm-in-a-pickle

RageinEden, how I wish I`d kept my old treadle!

I`ve made a long sleeved top- dark brown/burnt orange, has a velvety feel and will be warm. Too warm to wear just now, but the idea has been buzzing round in my head for a few weeks, so now I`ve silenced it and moved on...to shorts for next door DGD and my 2 youngest DGD`s. Next is a canvas bag for eldest DGD, going to pick her up this evening and hope to get it done while she`s here for the weekend. It feels more personal if folks are able to comment or suggest bits while their thing`s being made, rather than just handing over finished item saying `I made you this`.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Arty, for some knits or stretchy fabrics I have used a straight stitch, and tissue paper under the fabric - just rip it away after you`ve sewed.
Also I have used cheap Christmas wrapping paper when sewing `hair` (strands of wool for dolls or ultra-narrow black ribbon for Minions). One strip of paper underneath and one strip on top, stops the wool or ribbon sliding about or getting caught in the feed beneath and the foot above, and carefully stitch over the same seam 2 or 3 times, the paper will just fall away with little effort. Tried tissue paper for this but it`s a bit too flimsy.

I`m planning to get 2 DGD`s making glove puppets and may use this method then, as eldest DGS is going to make a puppet theatre for the 2 youngest DGS`s, when summer hols start. The girls can do the curtains and are thinking of what puppets to try making already. Meanwhile I am not chucking any scraps away!!!

[Deleted User]

I have just saved myself from myself. I`m back into my making mojo, the allotment is quiet for a while and I am knitting lovely summer tops, also ordered lovely fibre blends to spin for future tops. That got me thinking about my skirt colours and I am wanting multi coloured cotton types. So I went onto a favourite fabric site, took me ages but I put a stash into my shopping basket. Thought I had better look at my existing stash and could not believe that I have three perfect fabrics in there, Arghh, I hadn`t actually ordered just wishful dangerous day-dreaming. I have deleted everything and breathing a big sigh of relief. Tomorrow I will go into my skirt patterns and find one I have made previously and I am glad I did the kondo the other month, so all my skirt patterns are in a skirts box. I need to buy nothing as I splashed out on a massive box of top quality sewing threads and I have a lifetime worth of facings and many zips

I am wearing a bought 6 gored canvas type skirt today with a bit of elastic in the waist, no zip. This style suits my figure but there will be quite a bit of pattern matching. I know there is similar in `brown paper patterns`

[Deleted User]

I did three rows of knitting and wanted a change, so went up and looked through my ready-to-cut patterns. These are patterns that I traced from original multi sized patterns, I started doing that about 8 years ago. So chuffed because there are 3 ready patterns for skirts from the brown paper brand. a 6 gore, an A line with zip and an A line pull on.

I took the cardboard cutting board downstairs, pulled open the table, took as much off the hem as I could, the original pattern was ankle length and cut the A line with zip out plus two (maybe) pockets, I had 1/8" to spare for the length. I feel very lucky, today I actually wore the top I had made from this fabric last year and the quality is lovely

To make the traced cut-to-size patterns I used swedish tracing paper that I bought years ago from barnyarns, it was cheaper then, however it lasts and lasts and none is wasted. I have several rolls still, I bulk bought as for me it is a must have. Going through that box, I noticed all the pattern pieces from which I made a wonderful parka, ottobre women`s patterns. I am so glad I kept it all. All the individual patterns are in fully labelled ziplock bags

Tomorrow I sew and when I have finished that skirt, I will cut two more out

Artytarty

Wow Kittie! You certainly are being productive.
I'm ashamed to say I haven't done much for a while and my pattern stash is a shambles, I don't press and resold them , by the time I've finished I just end up turning to stuff it back in and ironing it the next time I use it.
No special boxes for pattern types either, but I don't have that many.

[Deleted User]

I am just gearing myself up for a sewing morning. New skirt and an alteration. A year ago I made a stylearc skirt in a fine printed needlecord

http://www.stylearc.com.au/stylearc/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=335&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=43

That pleat bit at the front never sits flat and there is enough room in the skirt, so today I will finally sew down the front and get rid of the pleat. It will take a bit of messy unpicking but is definitely do-able this morning. I love days with a purpose, like today. I have many stylearc patterns btw, I got several when they had offers and I also got the adjustment sheets. Always the physical patterns not the a4 printed downloads

Arty, I have hundreds of patterns from 1970. Once my sewing matured and multi sized patterns came in, then I generally traced them, if I cut the pattern itself, then I always kept the `waste` bits with markings. I also have sewaholic http://www.sewaholicpatterns.com/ and I do like jalie, which I generally get from http://www.habithat.co.uk/

I do wash all fabrics when they arrive and I try to keep them as crease free as possible. I have so much stash, bought much from germany when the £ bought more. Some stash are on hangers in a wardrobe, others on shelves in cupboards, every inch of space in my sewing room